Post-Impressionism

Post-Impressionism is the term used to describe French art from the period of 1886-1914. The term was coined in 1910 by Roger Fry, a British artist and critic, for his exhibit Manet and Post-Impressionism. The Post-Impressionism movement furthered Impressionism but rejected its limitations: it still employed thick application of paint, vivid use of colour, distinctive brush strokes, but also emphasized geometric or distorted forms and used arbitrary or unnatural colours. Fry explained his reasoning in choosing the name, "For purposes of convenience, it was necessary to give these artists a name and I chose, as being the vaguest and most non-committal, the name of Post-Impressionism. This merely stated their position in time relatively to the Impressionist movement." Post-Impressionism was not a cohesive movement and does not describe a single style or approach, but overall the movement showed greater concern for expression, form and structure than Impressionist artists. There are other names such as Symbolism or Modernism that can be used in conjunction with this movement, these terms are broader and apply to more than art in France, but also to literature and architecture throughout Europe. The timeline begins after Manet’s death, but is confusing as Post-Impressionism began in the 1880’s as the Impressionism movement was still gaining momentum.

Notable artists of the Post-Impressionist movement include: Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Paul Cezanne, Henri Rousseau, Odilon Redon and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.